Morgan Agia, 19, of Bern Township and Zachary Moyer, 18, of Muhlenberg Township left home for World Youth Day in Madrid, Spain, earlier this month with their Catholic faith firmly entrenched.

They and 36 other young people from the Allentown Diocese returned Aug. 23 with even more enthusiasm for their religion, and an experience they will remember for the rest of their lives.

They got to see Pope Benedict XVI and meet young Catholics from all over the world.

Agia, a member of St. Ignatius Loyola Church about to start her sophomore year studying speech communications at Ithaca College, said she heard about the trip in a presentation at church, and used money she had saved from working to pay the cost of more than $2,000.

The combination of faith formation, culture and world travel pulled her in, she said.

Included in the trip were visits to holy cities in Spain, concerts, panel discussions and a vocational fair focusing on ministries and convent orders, Agia said.

One of the highlights was a welcoming of the pope, she said.

"There were literally millions of people lining the streets, waiting for the holy father," Agia said. "It was like a big party for Jesus. The music, the fellowship, the energy was just wonderful."

Moyer, a member of Holy Guardian Angels Church and a senior at Berks Catholic High School, said he raised the money for the trip by holding fundraisers, such as a basketball game with the Knights of Columbus and a fun fair where participants threw pies at his face.

"I wanted to know how it would feel to be with people from around the world who feel the same way I do," he said. "I expected it to be beautiful. It was."

Getting a close-up look at the pope was an unexpected surprise, Moyer said.

A group of people went to an event where the pope was going to appear, but turned around and left because the gathering wasn't as large as expected, he said.

"As we were leaving, the pope showed up," Moyer said. "I was within 10 feet of him."

Now he knows that he is part of a worldwide force of people who share his beliefs, he said.

"It really helped me become a better person," Moyer said.

World Youth Day was founded by Pope John Paul II in 1985, when he called for a worldwide gathering of youths in Rome. It has been held every two or three years since then.

Agia said the theme for the event this year was Planted and Built Up in Jesus Christ, Firm in the Faith.

"That definitely rang through the entire trip," she said. "I brought it home with me. I am forever changed from this experience."